You Come and Chop Me!

The followers of the Jashin Cult might have seemed like invincible demons in the eyes of the civilians they slaughtered, but in reality, most of them were not even at the level of genin. In Tahm's hands, they were like sheets of paper, torn apart and smashed one after another.

Tahm used a ruthlessness he had never displayed before, sending every black-clad figure who appeared before him into the embrace of the Jashin they revered.

Blood flew everywhere, but Tahm did not hesitate in the slightest.

River King had never been a title from some fairy tale. He was a tyrant who ruled through fear, a demon who devoured greed.

"Who are you? Why are you destroying our ceremony?" the cult leader, clutching his ruined body and clinging to life, shrieked like a madman. It was impossible to tell whether his behavior came from his faith in Jashin or his fear of death.

The answer was a massive tongue cleaving down toward his face. After a muffled thud, the cave fell silent.

Tahm had nothing to say to people like them.

When Tahm walked out of the cave, his entire body was covered in blood, making him feel sick.

Jiraiya stepped forward and patted Tahm on the shoulder, comforting him. "The first time you kill someone, it always feels unpleasant."

Tahm adjusted his mindset in no time and even gave Jiraiya a smile. "Senior Brother Jiraiya, you don't need to give me psychological counseling. I'm not some little kid who just graduated from the Ninja Academy."

"Besides, I don't regret killing them in the slightest, nor do I feel any exhilaration because of it."

"It was simply something that had to be done."

Jiraiya said nothing more. He knew Tahm had already developed a mature understanding of things.

Suddenly, a brash voice rang out. "Oh my! These people were supposed to be the final sacrifices I offered to Lord Jashin! Damn it, how dare you kill the sacrifices I was going to kill!"

Immediately afterward, a man with gray hair slicked back in a large pompadour and a red triple-bladed scythe slung over his shoulder arrogantly leaped out. It was Hidan.

Kakuzu, who was still hiding in the forest, nearly lost his mind. That bastard actually charged straight out! The person standing over there is obviously one of the Three Ninja, Jiraiya, along with that slippery, impossible-to-catch, freakish toad!

Should I just abandon him and run, then find a new partner? A lunatic like this, who rushes out without looking at the situation and starts shouting, will only be a money-losing liability as a partner.

But Tahm's voice drifted over leisurely. "Isn't that Brother Kakuzu? Come out and reminisce!" He had spotted Kakuzu's avatar on the minimap from the very beginning. With Jiraiya right beside him, he had nothing to fear from the pair and might as well call Kakuzu out for a spar.

Kakuzu could only emerge with black lines all over his face. The moment he appeared, he said to Hidan, "Let's retreat quickly! That's one of the Three Ninja, Jiraiya!"

"No!" Hidan rejected him outright. "I'm going to sacrifice every one of these bastards who stole my sacrifices and showed disrespect to Jashin!"

Kakuzu wore a helpless expression and could only steel himself to fight alongside this idiotic teammate. In his view, that toad's methods might be strange, but its direct combat ability was average. As a veteran Kage-level shinobi, he was confident he would not lose in a frontal battle against Jiraiya.

Once we get back, I absolutely have to give this bastard a good beating. Kakuzu made up his mind in secret.

The moment Hidan and Kakuzu appeared, Tahm understood where that familiar feeling had come from. It turned out that Hidan of the Akatsuki had once been a follower of a cult in the Hidden Hot Water Village.

Seeing Hidan's arrogant display, Tahm was reminded of what had just happened. This bastard is also a butcher from the Jashin Cult.

If people like Kakuzu killed for their secret techniques or for bounties, they still had a valve in their heads and would restrain themselves when they acted. But a thoroughgoing cultist like Hidan was practically the vanguard of chaotic evil, a blight walking upon the earth.

Tahm felt the urge to kill again.

"Leave Kakuzu to me," Tahm said directly to Jiraiya. "I'll deal with that remnant of the Jashin Cult."

Jiraiya had not expected to actually encounter a member of that organization, and his expression grew solemn.

Without another word, he shot toward Kakuzu. Kakuzu cooperatively dodged and drew Jiraiya away, widening the distance between himself and Hidan and Tahm and dividing the battlefield in two.

Both were masters of ninjutsu. The moment they unleashed their ultimate techniques, fire blazed, water splashed wildly, and lightning roared. It was a spectacular sight. The dark forest looked as though fireworks had exploded within it, flashing beautiful yet deadly light.

Meanwhile, Tahm and Hidan were still engaged in a harmonious exchange of trash talk.

Hidan grinned viciously. "You may be a toad, but you seem like a decent sacrifice. Rejoice! You'll be the first nonhuman sacrifice offered to Jashin."

Tahm smiled disdainfully. "If you're going to fight, then fight. Stop wasting your breath!"

Hidan did not hesitate. After being provoked, he jerked both hands, and the special red scythe shot forward like a flexible giant serpent.

Aside from the Jashin Cult's secret technique, Hidan's other methods of fighting were extremely limited, but there was no denying that his basic taijutsu was impressive.

He wielded that peculiar triple-bladed scythe with tremendous force. The blade tore through the air at such speed that ordinary jōnin would have no time to react.

Given Tahm's physical attributes, dodging this slash would have been somewhat difficult. But Tahm had never relied on ordinary movement to evade attacks. Whether it was Alpha Strike or Riftwalk, his bizarre skills could perfectly counter this kind of assault.

Thus, at the critical moment, Tahm—

He stood right where he was and took the slash head-on!

However, Hidan's slash did not seem intended to inflict damage. It merely drew a precise line across Tahm's skin, and a vicious, triumphant smile had already spread across Hidan's face.

Hidan suddenly pulled the scythe back, causing the blade to change direction in midair with eerie precision. Then, in an utterly bizarre manner, he stuck out his tongue and licked the blade.

"Huh? Why isn't there any blood?"

Hidan was dumbfounded. He had clearly felt his blade cut solidly across the toad's skin, so how had it failed to draw any blood?

Without his opponent's blood, how was he supposed to perform Jashin's secret technique?

"Don't be discouraged. How about you try chopping me a few more times?" Tahm taunted. He remained where he was, bored out of his mind, pulling out his tongue and plucking it like a string instrument, looking as though he were saying, Come on, chop me!

The twanging sound of Tahm plucking his tongue instantly ignited Hidan's fury!

With a strange cry, he swung his scythe again. Tahm still showed no intention of dodging, and in the blink of an eye, Hidan slashed him several times.

"How is this possible?!" Hidan raged. He still had not managed to obtain a drop of that toad's blood.

Heh heh, kid, are you dumbfounded?

This immortal has entered data form. I won't even sweat, much less bleed. And you think you're getting my blood?